Earlier in the year, I was polling some coaches about who they thought the most intriguing college football programs would be in the next two to four years. Some of the answers -- a handful of SEC teams, Ohio State and even USC -- were fairly predictable. They were the highly visible, typically discussed schools.

But the support that one, Miami, received was a bit surprising, considering that it hasn’t sniffed a double-digit-win season (meaning it hasn’t been in the BCS title hunt) in a decade. Some of those who were high on the Hurricanes were ACC guys, even.

I was curious why. I like Al Golden as much as the next person, but who is to say Miami might be “back” as much as any other name-brand program on the short list that includes FSU, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Texas or Tennessee?

Here are a few major points that came up in these conversations -- factors that could influence whether or not Miami returns to prominence this year or in the near future.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Travis Haney

Travis Haney joined ESPN in April 2012 as Insider's national college football writer. He previously covered the University of Oklahoma Sooners for The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman for one season, and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks for The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier for four. Additionally, Haney has contributed since 2003 to ESPN publications and projects, including ESPN The Magazine.

A native of Cleveland, Tenn., Haney's initial introduction to a college football cathedral was Neyland Stadium. He later graduated from the University of Tennessee, in 2003, and has spent time covering the Volunteers, the University of Georgia, Clemson University, and other schools. Safe to say, football, and football in the South, was injected into his bloodstream at a young age.

Haney is the author of three books -- Gamecock Glory and Gamecock Encore, which chronicled the South Carolina baseball team's run to the 2010 and 2011 national championships, and State of Disunion, a historical look at the Clemson-South Carolina football rivalry that he co-wrote with Larry Williams.